1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for the mounting of a plurality of modular storage units such as shelving or cabinet units. More specifically, the apparatus comprises brackets that are adjustably secured to a modular storage unit, and a wall rail for mounting the brackets and the secured storage unit to a vertical wall. The brackets are configured as symmetrical parts, so that identical brackets are mounted on opposite sides of the modular storage unit, and are used to detachably engage the wall rail which has been secured in a horizontal fashion to a vertical wall to suspend the storage unit on the wall.
2) Description of the Related Art
In providing modular cabinet or shelving storage units for home or office use, it is often desirable to have some degree of flexibility in the mounting system of the storage units so that the units can be moved about while being mounted in order to level the units, and so that the units can be easily removed and interchanged, or mounted in different orientations as needs vary. This flexibility is best achieved with a minimum number of component parts in the mounting system to reduce costs, while providing storage units that are sturdy and stable when mounted.
Various devices have been developed for the mounting of cabinets and shelving on a wall. U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,570 discloses an example of wall mounted modules for merchandising and storage. The modules are mounted by a transversely extending bar that is secured to a vertical wall. The bar is provided with an upwardly opening channel, and each module is specially formed with a portion that protrudes out from, and extends downward over, a recess formed in the back of the module. The protruding portion of the module is inserted into the channel of the bar to suspend the module from the bar.
These types of wall mounting systems are disadvantaged in that they do not provide a mechanism for leveling the separate modules from side to side apart from leveling the transverse bar. They are also disadvantaged in that the modules are each formed with the specialized protruding portion and recess on their back surfaces, which increase the costs of producing the modules over those without such a specialized construction.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,507 also discloses a system for mounting modular storage units to a wall. This system includes a wall rail that is mounted transversely to a vertical wall, and a mounting key that is inserted in horizontally extending slots in the wall rail and the storage module to mount the module to the rail. A leveling key is also disclosed. The leveling key is inserted into a leveling slot in the back of the module, and spaces the bottom of the storage module out from the vertical wall to level the horizontal surfaces of the module from front to back. The key does not, however, remedy side-to-side leveling. In this system also, the storage module is leveled from side to side by leveling the wall rail horizontally o the wall. This system is also disadvantaged in that the many different component parts of the system increase its cost of production.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cabinet mounting system that overcomes the disadvantages of prior art systems addressed above. The present invention provides a cabinet mounting system with apparatus for leveling individual cabinets or shelving units mounted by the system in two planes. The invention permits the cabinet modular units to be mounted flush against a vertical wall to level the modular units from front to back, and also permits the adjustment of the modular unit mounting to the wall to level the unit from side to side. Furthermore, the storage unit mounting system of the invention is provided with symmetrical mounting hardware that is adapted to be used on both sides of the storage unit to mount the unit to the wall. The symmetric design of the mounting hardware reduces the number of different parts in the mounting system, and accordingly reduces the cost of producing the mounting system and the complexity of the assembly process.